How to Plant Peach Trees in North Carolina
- 1). Prepare the soil for planting in the early spring. Break up the soil with a pitchfork and test the pH using a soil testing kit. If the soil pH is above 6.5, add peat moss to lower it. For a pH below 6.5, add lime. Mix the necessary amendment in with the soil according to manufacturer’s instructions.
- 2). Dig holes for the North Carolina peach trees that measure the same depth as their nursery containers and twice the width. Space the holes approximately 20 feet apart. Remove the peach trees from their nursery containers and deposit one tree in the center of each hole.
- 3). Add more soil to the holes if the graft unions (transition between roots and trunk) are not above the soil line. Backfill the holes and pat the soil around each peach tree to remove trapped air.
- 4). Water the peach trees at a rate of 1 inch per week using a soaker hose. North Carolina averages approximately 43 inches of rainfall per year, which means that supplemental weekly watering is necessary when the weather is dry to maintain most soil at a depth of 1 inch.
- 5). Remove dead or damaged branches during winter dormancy. Use a pruning tool to cut the branches on a 45-degree angle, 1 inch from the parent branch. Remove inward growing branches during this pruning to keep the North Carolina peach trees looking tidy.
- 6). Fertilize your North Carolina peach trees once they begin to show signs of growth after planting. Use a 10-10-10 fertilizer applied according to manufacturer’s instructions. Most peach trees appreciate a dose of fertilizer every year in the early spring, early summer and once again during mid-summer.
